Big fat bumblebees like coneflowers.
Frankly, I don’t even remember what I did yesterday.
Okay. Let me think. I watered all the zinnias, morning glories, and moonflowers that are growing near the chicken wire fence. I added water to the birdbath. I watered the pots in the Secret Garden and everything on the porch.
I sat on the glider with Don and we took some time to gently rock and listen to the birds. It was that rare day around here with relatively low humidity. Oh, right. Before that, he went to pick up the groceries and we disinfected everything. And then we tossed our clothes in the wash and took showers. And then I did two loads of wash.
See? It’s slowly coming back. I actually DID some things!
Today, I’m going to mow the front lawn. All by myself. Don is a bit under the weather, so I have issued a “No Mowing for You” proclamation. But the front lawn is big, so I’m going to start early, take plenty of breaks, and if I don’t finish today, I don’t finish. It’s going to get very humid again on the weekend, so I want to get it done.
Stress is taking its toll on me. Certain stress-related issues that I sometimes get physically are making themselves known. That’s when I need to stop worrying, meditate, and do everything I can to find some peace, including doing something physical like mowing the lawn. Even though it’s a lot of work, I love to do it and it ends up being meditative. It will be good for me.
So that’s it for me today. Mowing, watering, taking care of Don. And avoiding anything stressful.
Stay safe.
Happy Wednesday.
You’ve done a lot for sure! I hope Don feels well soon. Be well Claudia.
X Chy
Thank you, Chy. You, too!
It all caught up with me yesterday too.
I’m really stressing about school opening. We have 2 granddaughters with us every day while their parents work. As much as I love our granddaughters, I am ready for them to go back to school.
I want my old life back! I want their old life back. But I have NO trust in this administration that schools will be safe to reopen. I am thankful for our Governor who is trying to keep Michigan as safe as she can. The uncertainty is maddening. Things can change so quickly. I just want to feel safe again.
I am not going to watch the news today. It’s all too much. I’m going to weed some flowers, and sit on the deck and watch the birds while the girls play in the sprinkler.
Wishing you a peaceful day and a healing day for Don.
I am feeling the same as you. We take care of our 5 year great grand-nephew during the summer and school breaks. Though we love him to bits we wanted school to start and we didn’t want school to start. Looks like it is going to be virtual school in Arizona for the next month or two or three or who knows. Which presents another whole set of problems for parents but I am glad they are not opening.
Michigan won’t start til Labor Day so we have a little more time.
Our girls are 8 and 11 and both say they will wear a mask all day if they have to, but they are kids. They don’t like masks just to go to the store. I think school here will be some sort of mix of online and in school time if things stay about the same. But, we could be locked down again by then. Our Gov. will do it if cases increase.
I am so grateful that I don’t have kids/grandkids going back to school and having to make impossible decisions. And those of you who do, you have my sympathy. At this point, there’s no way I can imagine having to send my precious babies into an unknown and probably unsafe environment. I really hope that everyone is safe.
HI,
I have had internet issues so I have been catching up on your posts. This comment is directed at your house project. You are so cleaver and imaginative with your “brick project.” Using and turning egg carton cardboard into bricks, you are an artist. I know you are creative just by your chosen career. All I can say is how impressive your mind is.
Stay well and stay safe
Kaye,
Park City, UT
i hope, pray that you and don feel better soon!
and that you have plenty of time after the chores that cannot be avoided to release some stress by sitting the swing with your sweet fella, something nice to drink close at hand and chubby bees buzzing around those pretty flowers.
between the pandemic and politics, now is a very good time to take it easy!
had a wonderful, strong thunderstorm last night. loved it … just not that it knocked out power for four hours.
break’s over here so it’s back to work.
hope you all have a safe, easy day.
kathy in iowa
I have been feeling so tired lately and just sad about the problems our country is facing. I am coloring a picture that says “keep smiling” as a way to keep busy and also encourage myself to find the positive around me.
Hope Don is better soon.
I’ve felt a little better after my meltdown. I’m sure things will bubble up again. A doc friend said that “meltdown” should be an official diagnosis and a therapist friend on is doing video counseling said that she has never been busier.
Take care with that mowing and grab a few more glider moments. They are healing.
I have spoken with friends this week, and we have hit a wall, fighting anxiety and situational depression. For me, being a teacher (36 years) over a certain age (61), the lack of caring about the staff/teachers/kids is overwhelming. I am also sad that the USA is where it is right now…a disjointed nation of people who only care about money and self-expression (not everyone, thank goodness). I keep hoping that in the near future, this will change. But, now, all our ugliness has been exposed. On another note, Don, feel better! Also, I LOVE the dollhouse!
Hi Claudia, So hoping you get through this meltdown. I know it’s so hard. Thinking that just maybe, all of the BAD stuff coming out of this idiot’s mouth, administration, wherever, is enough for people to see just how necessary it is to vote him OUT in Nov. Maybe that’s the silver lining in this really bad time. He just keeps revealing how really bad he is. What an awful existence and legacy.
I find I’m turning off more & more news, as it just upsets me way too much. We’re definitely in a very changing world & all we can do is hope this is all for the better. It’s really been a terrible 4 yrs in history & at least we’re getting to the end of it, with any luck!
Enjoy what you can…
DO NOT LISTEN TO OR WATCH THE NEWS!!! That’s the best medicine.
I totally agree! It only adds to the stress load.
It sounds like you and Don are both feeling the effects of stress, which will definitely manifest itself physically in the body. The mind-body connection is very powerful.
Rest, relax, meditate, do the things you love, and forget all the rest for awhile.
Wishing for Don’s return to more comfortable health and for a less-stressful day for you, Claudia! Fun to see the bee on the flower. We went to the cemetery today and our family plot is now adjacent to a memory garden which has been fully planted with various bushes, trees and flowers. Big sign stuck in the ground: ‘WATCH FOR BEES’. Thrilling actually, because I remember a few years back when we had no bees and the thought was that agricultural pesticides here had killed off the bees.
The TV news really got to my husband yesterday. He did too much news-watching which he usually avoids, but we’ve got so much going on with Covid right now, in our town/county/state of Calif that you do need to stay on top of things but the problem is (while you’re attempting to be informed) that it’s just too many layers of bad news all the time. (Could somebody throw us a bone, is there EVER anything uplifting lately.)
So, when we did our twice-monthly mail run early this morning, we kept driving. That’s a first, since late February. Probably earlier. I haven’t been anywhere, and my husband hasn’t strayed from home more than 15-30 miles in all that time (and only VERY infrequently; mostly, we never leave our small town). Anyway, but yes, try to unfog and de-stress the brain; put our own distance between us and house & home for a little while (those four walls; had a rehearsal with this & me last week and the short drive didn’t go well; I just wanted to get home; this time, however, was different).
We drove about 100 miles, thru some of our favorite areas not seen since probably last Christmas. Never stopped or got out of the car, but had the windows down; breathed in lots of good air. Marine layer kept us cool and I didn’t mind it was overcast at the beach because, wow, by 11am, sun was out at home and we’re hot & humid already. (Worrying to see how DRY our canyons and even the ocean cliffs are; barren, arid; no wonder our Gov Newsom had a news conference in conjunction with CalFire last week. If it looks like this in mid-July, what’ll it be like by September with the Santa Anas and potential wildfire. Again. [Oh dear.])
But really remarkable to see how FEW people were out & about in all six communities we drove thru. I know it was early in the day, no sun yet, a weekday; still, it’s summer travel time, and Pacific Coast Highway/101 freeway from Malibu to Santa Barbara, just empty, so where are all the vacationers? Must be more people are staying home than we think, which I actually felt was heartening to discover. There are always the dedicated surfers who won’t miss one day of waves, and you’ve also got the requisite motorhomes enjoying several-days of self-contained stay in certain sections of beach road (not nearly as many as would be usual); but, beyond-light traffic! So, it was a breezy, nice, open-road ‘ride’ over 3 hrs and it’ll last me well enough for the next five months I guess. (Down we hunker once more with surely a further, more stringent lockdown on the horizon. But really did me a lot of good to get out after being hemmed in for so long although it did strike me, “I missed the Spring.” Lost a season in there. But maybe I can see it in 2021. And I got to see lemons falling from the trees, many strawberry fields, row crops of cabbage and cauliflower … and pumpkins!)
We all need to take some deep breaths. I have had a zero news day today and I can feel my neck relaxing a bit. I have seen a few bits of news on my email feed, but I have deleted without reading any of it. He is so out of control that missing a day or two of news really doesn’t matter because he is creating (ridiculous) headlines every hour of every day. So the reporters are merely kept running from fire to fire and at the end of the day there is just a pile of smoking rubble and the rest of us have whiplash.
I hope you and Don found some peace in your day.
Hang in there, Claudia. It’s been a tough One Hundred and Twenty-Four Days! 💕
This should lift your spirits a bit….. https://rvat.org. A web site of republicans who are disgusted with the orange crap’s ways. It came from a Lindsey Graham ad, that I saw on another blog, denouncing how Trump talked about Joe Biden. https://youtu.be/vM5qhtff_FU
Yes, there’s also The Lincoln Project – terrific ads.
Stay safe!
Just stopping by to say “Hi” wish you a pleasant day tomorrow!
Keeping calm and centered is really difficult these times. I’m positive that phisical work in the garden helps a lot. We might sweat the bad feelings out.
Regula
Most beautiful photo at the beginning of this blog entry. In fact it is stunning and gave me great joy just to look at it. Thank you.
The emotional highs and lows of our days are dramatic. You seem to know what will help you. I wish there was a way that we too could help support you. You give us so much to help us with our stress. I hope that Don feels better soon and that you may find a few days to rest and renew. Your body deserves it. Thank you for continuing to share the beauty of your home.